Pet owners who do not own large land tracts or who do not live in rural areas are generally subject to regulations requiring them to immediately pick up and dispose of pet droppings deposited outdoors. Other pet owners not necessarily required by law to properly dispose of pet waste also often clean up after their pets from a sense of obligation or social pressure. Owners with indoor pets such as cats also contend with the problem of pet waste and its proper disposal. Various systems, devices and kits have been devised to facilitate handling and disposal of pet waste.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,670 discloses a glove bag with an enlarged cuff portion that serves as a bag. The glove bag may be everted one or more times and includes sealing means.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,955 discloses a device formed to fit on the hand and having a portion that can be inverted to produce a bag-like structure holding excrements inside.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,251 discloses a system including a flexible inner glove and a flexible, disposable outer glove that may optionally include attached absorbent layers such as absorbent paper and that is invertable for containing the waste material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,696 discloses a glove-like device that can be provided as a stacked packet to dispense for use and that optionally may be made from paper.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,247 discloses a flexible, bag-like receptacle having a portion that can be inverted and tied off to hold pet droppings. It also discloses a scoop for collecting the droppings and inserting them into the receiving portion.
A problem in common with such systems or devices is that the receptacle, bag or other device containing the pet waste is only designed to be placed in the trash from where it generally is taken to a landfill. This can result in unsanitary conditions should the trash spill or somehow be exposed before or while being transported to the landfill. Another problem of greater scope is that the disposed pet waste occupies some of the landfill volume, which considering the large number of pets producing tons of waste on a daily basis imposes an associated fiscal and environmental impact that over time can become significant.